Arnold Braces for Competition

Venturing where most local agencies feared to tread, Allen & Gerritsen and Modernista! last week emerged as challengers to incumbent Arnold in a review for the Massachusetts Department of Public Health’s Tobacco Control Program.

Budgeted at $8-14 million and mandated by state law to go into review periodically, the DPH has been a signature account for Arnold, which added the business in early 1998 when it acquired crosstown rival Houston Herstek Favat. This will be Arnold’s first DPH defense.

Arnold was viewed by most potential competitors as “unbeatable” based on its size and resources —it is nearly 10 times larger than A&G and Modernista! combined— and its track record of success on the account.